What are the signs of your bodies gearing up?

[Jster]

I tried to put aside even the mental possibility that baby might come early. After going 41 weeks with dd1 and 42 weeks with dd2, have pitocin after a slow leak and erratic contractions with dd1 and taking castor oil for dd2, I figured that the best attitude was to consider myself "due" at 42 weeks and be done with it.

Problem is, I keep seeing signs of my body getting ready, and it throws me off a bit!!

1)baby dropped around 33/34 weeks
2)my nipples have, in the last day or so, gotton about 3 shades darker, now they're almost as brown as my hair.
3) I feel lots of contractions late in the day which, while not painful, definitely seem more on the productive than the b/h side of things...uterus moving out and down, for instance, and progressing from the top of uterus to bottom rather than just all over.
4)and a nesting/frantic urge the last couple of days.

Of course, there could be other reasons for all these things, and it could be I'm still in it for the long haul. One thing I WILL NOT DO this time is induce, naturally or otherwise, for any reason except an imminent emergency. But what if, just to throw me off completely, baby actually is born on the "early" side of things??? :

Sorry to make this thread all about me, I really wanted to give us all a chance to compare pre-labor symptoms, just for fun!

[SeekingJoy]

Oh, I can relate! Due Aug 4 with this one, with DS born at 41+weeks, but man is my body getting all geared up.

1) Nesting is in full swing. I don't even want to look at how much money I have spent on diapers, cleaning supplies, stocking the freezer and pantry, and other house "essentials" like more plants to have DH landscape the yard with. Yeah, I am sure baby will care about that when she comes. : Thank goodness we get paid today!

2) More time in the can. Sorry if this is TMI, but so true for me.

3) Strong, real contractions that then peter out after an hour or two. For me they are worse at night and end up keeping me awake. Does anyone else have these? Any tips to get them to go away? I know they are not caused by a full bladder or dehydration, the two things I could count on earlier to make BH stop.

[josybear]

seekingjoy, i definitely get these contractions. but mine can last from noon until 2 am, making work and trying to sleep ever so much fun. then i wake up early because my belly is rock hard, since the 2 tsp or so of pee in my bladder have made my whole belly clench up tight. i'm afraid that one of these days my water will break over a tiny dribble of pee.

this morning i woke up obsessed with the idea that i'm having a baby, pronto. i'm not having particularly strong ctx, but my mind won't let go of the idea. i'm quietly freaking out because my mw is out of town and i don't have the phone # of where my dh is working today, plus i have no idea who could watch ds and nothing is ready... i'm trying really hard to stop thinking about these things and feel safe that no baby is coming, but it's not working.

[ladyleigh]

omg- so exciting.

My contractions are much more intense now as well- at times I have to stop what I am doing and concentrate on letting them pass. I haven't noticed any pattern to them.

My discharge has changed (sorry if tmi). There is enough for me to consider wearing a panty liner just so it doesn't wet through my pants.

I don't think my baby has dropped- I'll have to ask my mw. But he has been really low the whole time. I have heart burn but no trouble breathing etc.

I would be nesting more if I weren't so darn tired all the time.

I'm full term on tues, so I just have to hold out till then!

[wendyland]

I'm 37 weeks. I've been seeing increased signs the last couple days. Wed. I had lots of plug coming out & some of it with blood. My nipples are way dark suddenly. My mood swings have been bad. I was very irritable that last couple days, but today I feel on top of the world. I was 3 cm dilated as of Monday.

I also felt really good the day I had my oldest. I hope it's soon.

[mercy589]

Nesting like crazy - every closet I open I think "oh my goodness, this all needs to be taken out and cleaned and put back neatly" lol, things I couldn't care less about otherwise! I'm getting a little paranoid about getting everything done that I need to before baby comes though...

[Momsteader]

Jstr....must be because it's twins You'll be glad you lurked on the twins thread hehehe

I think it's probably just yet another indicator that every pregnancy is different and you could possibly have baby earlier than your others.

[Alohamelly]

I'm 36 weeks and the only sign I'm having is more intense contractions. Sometimes they're really painful, along with low back pain.

[QueenOfThePride]

I have some really strong contractions, but they aren't regular at all. I can feel them working on my cervix, probably effacing. But I'll only have like one contraction, and won't have another painful one for several hours, or even the next day. Sometimes I have a few close together, but they stop. I think labor is still at least a few weeks off for me.

[josybear]

i thought i was going to have this baby yesterday. i had a few contractions that i had to yell through and everything felt like it was 'all systems go'.
but dh was working somewhere that i couldn't reach him, my mw was out of town, i had no babysitter... it would have been catastrophic. so i had a bath, took a nap, refused to nurse ds and the contractions petered out. thank god.
on wednesday my mw gets back, so the baby can come after that. a week from sunday is my first day done work (i work 60+ hours a week and my bosses would be pretty stuck if i suddenly couldn't come in, plus i don't get paid if i'm not working) so starting sunday i'm going to let ds nurse all he likes, up the rrl tea, thrown in some pennyroyal and cohosh, and see if i can get this baby out of me.
just watch, the moment i'm free to birth when i like the baby will decide to stay put after all.

[Jster]

Originally Posted by CrunchyClark

Jstr....must be because it's twins You'll be glad you lurked on the twins thread hehehe

HAHA! sure, sure, twins. Nope, just one baby, no matter what every stranger I meet says

I think it's probably just yet another indicator that every pregnancy is different and you could possibly have baby earlier than your others.

Yes, I think you're right...but I'm still counting on the long haul. And hoping for it, as I have a TON to get done before baby! (Although today for $10 I got all the baby clothes and blankets we could possibly need...so that's good!)

And to all the mamas also contracting/seeing signs...let us have the patience to make it to whatever day our babies are meant to come! Hopefully conveniently timed!

[mama2walden&luna]

Josybear, try putting an evening primrose capsule in your yoni when you go to sleep at night. It will help soften your cervix.

I've been having BH at night, some nights it's strong, others not so much. I'm getting more discharge, but not any sign of a mucus plug as of yet. I'm 37 weeks tomorrow, so I will begin the Dr. Christopher's prenatal formula along with EPO orally and then EPO vaginally at 38 weeks. I am so ready to have this baby.

The nesting is kicking in also, I've got my mom helping me wash the mounds and mounds of baby clothes that I had dh drag out of storage. And I pestered dh to the point that he is FINALLY working on finishing the laundry room floor. I don't even want to think about trying to handle two in cloth diapers without my washer and dryer here in the house.

I know the baby is low and head down, but I don't think she's dropped just yet.

[josybear]

walden's momma, i need to keep this baby inside until the 22nd, so i'm staying away from the epo and all the other great ways of making babies come until then. on the 22nd, though, i'm going to go nuts with them!!

although i might not need to. today the baby finshed dropping, it can't get lower without coming right out. and my nips are suddenly a lot darker. and my incredibly dirty, messy house, which i usually don't even notice, pissed me right off this evening so i ended up going on a cleaning binge. i NEVER do that.
all in all, i think i might have a baby...
i can't wait!!!

[momuveight2B]

Braxton Hicks all day long and even at night now. Getting closer I hope.

[PiePie]

my baby has dropped. i used to have a long belly, like i had swallowed a watermeon whole. now it still protrudes some above the belly button but mostly below. i can breathe more easily but i have to pee all the time. every half hour, no joke.

MAMAS: how long was it between when you dropped and when you went into labor?

[PiePie]

josy, hang in there mama! dh and mw will be home soon!!

[dantesmama]

I'm another one who is READY to have this baby! I dropped about 3.5 weeks ago; I'm almost totally effaced and 3-3.5 cm dilated; I've been nesting the last few days; I've had a few bouts of false labor already (regular contractions every 6-7 minutes for as long as 2 hours); lots of mucousy discharge; plenty of strong contractions throughout the day and night; a good deal of discomfort in my pelvic floor . . . I still have a few days to go until I'm officially full-term, but I'm ok with it if she feels ready a little early! I really need to work on my patience, because I could technically go another 5-6 weeks. Yikes! I don't even want to think about that!

[Lady Lilya]

I'm not having any of these signs yet. I am about where I was a month ago, except bigger and heavier and more tired.

I CAN tell the baby has gotten a little lower based on how easily I can feel his head with my fingers in my yoni (thanks to the MDC mama that pointed out i could do that).

Due to the extra weight, I am having more pain in my hips while sleeping for the past week or so.

Other than that, no signs of getting closer.

I'm due Aug 8, but my feeling is the 18th or 20th.

[hollytheteacher]

Originally Posted by Lady Lilya

I'm not having any of these signs yet. I am about where I was a month ago, except bigger and heavier and more tired.

I CAN tell the baby has gotten a little lower based on how easily I can feel his head with my fingers in my yoni (thanks to the MDC mama that pointed out i could do that).

Due to the extra weight, I am having more pain in my hips while sleeping for the past week or so.

Other than that, no signs of getting closer.

I'm due Aug 8, but my feeling is the 18th or 20th.

I think i can feel the head too! I told my dh that and he though i was crazy, but what else is that big giant round hard lump that i can feel when i push up (right around teh g-spot...sorry on the tmi factor there). Also, i have been having weird pains in my cervix...does that mean it's changing?

[Lady Lilya]

Originally Posted by hollytheteacher

I think i can feel the head too! I told my dh that and he though i was crazy, but what else is that big giant round hard lump that i can feel when i push up (right around teh g-spot...sorry on the tmi factor there). Also, i have been having weird pains in my cervix...does that mean it's changing?

Yep, that is where i am feeling the head. DH felt it there too. Kinda creeping him out about DTD.